Mei L'ange Maillot Swimsuit

July 28, 2017

WEARING: MEI L'ANGE AVA - STRUCTURED MAILLOT

PHOTO CREDIT: LAYERS OF CHIC

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MEI L'ANGE.

TGIF, guys! There were so many of you that asked about this swimsuit on my Instagram page that I wanted to share a blog post on this gorgeous New York-based swimsuit label, Mei L'ange. Confident in her own skin, the Mei L'ange woman never vies for attention or sacrifices comfort; rather, she projects just a whisper of allure. A multi-faceted sophisticator, she balances a natural femininity and grace with a lively free spirit and a perpetual sense of adventure. The line's medley of contemporary design elements — from abstract motifs to edgy hardware — create a bold statement without sacrificing comfort. Made using extraordinarily soft and fine premium fabrics, the Mei L'ange collection offers a timeless, go-to style you’ll reach for again and again — because elegance should be effortless.

I've never worn a maillot swimsuit before but after trying this striped one piece, I've become utterly obsessed! Every single detail is paid special attention to, such as the cutouts on the sides of the swimsuit, which are carefully thought out patterns. The designer, Eefje Sarah Dierickx has got some mad skills! The back of the swimsuit is particularly unique with straps serving as buckles, while also easily adjustable to your size. As a petite woman, I sometimes have trouble finding the right fitted swimwear, but Mei L'ange carries many sizes and carries amazing designs that fit with my style.

Check out this blue and white striped swimsuit from my past travel post in the Hamptons. You can definitely say I had a lot of fun in this bathing suit! I think what makes this swimsuit also unique aside from the strong patterns and designs, is its free-spirited style that can be carried through a variety of outfits. Sometimes when you clash two separate pieces in fashion together, it can be a success or a true disaster. People are a little hesitant with the whole socks and sandals trend, which has come and gone and come again, just like pairing this one piece with a pair of denim shorts or maybe some sparkly metallic culottes. How do you guys feel about styling this swimsuit in several ways? I'd love to hear from you and how you'd style it if you could! Don't forget to comment down below, have a great weekend!

Shoutout to Urban Stems for the gorgeous flower crowns & Pool Pills for the dope floaties.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

Mei L'ange Ava Structured Maillot Swimsuit

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Sunning in the Hamptons

July 21, 2017

WEARING: GWEN SALAKAIA DRESS | ARTESANO HAT | GUCCI BELT | 
TEDDY ONDO ELLA BAG | PUMA SNEAKERS | LELET NY BUTTERFLY NECKLACE

PHOTOS BY: LAYERS OF CHIC // STYLED BY: SUZANNE SPIEGOSKI

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY GWEN SALAKAIA, ARTESANO & LELET NY.

Happy Friday, everyone! I'll be cranking out major content this upcoming week as I've been away the past week traveling for work and trying to find the time to post can be tough! I sure do miss the Hamptons after last weekend's soirée, especially the people, good weather, food and all-around positive vibes! Not to mention that glorious pool! I figure if I'm going to reminisce down memory lane, it better be fitting to the Hamps. When I spotted this Gwen Salakaia yellow floral print sundress, I knew it had to be styled out there! And what better sunny day to shoot this gorgeous dress in? Come check out how I brought this look together, keeping it posh yet me, a little spunky and sporty at the same time. Today's post will show you why the feminine dress and sneaker combo is so effective and trendy chic!

I love how airy and light the Gwen Salakaia dress feels. It's the perfect summer dress for so many different occasions. I don't feel like it's just a sundress because I'd be comfortable wearing this to a wedding with cute heels (obviously to a less fancy one) or even to an event, brunch or some kind of bridal and/or baby shower. Its vibrant yellow color puts such a smile on my face and has been my favorite summer color trend, so much so, I think I'll be carrying this color into fall. Can you tell I'm a fan of transition and versatility on top of being currently infatuated with yellow? ;)

A couple of weeks ago during New York Men's Fashion Week, I had the pleasure of attending the debut show of talent Gabonese fashion designer, Teddy Ondo Ella, whose contemporary lines fused with proud African heritage were all the rage. They gifted the attendees with such a chic summer crossbody bag made of straw that I had to feature it in a look! How cute is the seashell button detail? I'm utterly obsessed with this designer and am looking forward to seeing more of his future work. To complement with the straw material, I wore an Artesano Porto Panama hat, the detail on the trim was very similar to the bag and looked pretty fantastic together. Artesano hats are handmade in Ecuador but the brand is based in Miami. If you're at Miami Swim Week be sure to check these high-quality hats!

To finish off the look, I paired the look with these chic Puma 'Clyde' 4th of July sneakers. I just love the crisp red and blue stripes on the side, it gives any outfit a cool laid back but stylish look. I also mixed in this great headband from New York-based jewelry designer, LELET NY, but instead of using it as a headband, I styled it as a necklace. I thought it looked so sweet against the floral print of the dress, what do you guys think? I love this jewelry line, so check them out too! Lastly, I cinched my waist with my favorite Gucci belt, I think I wear this accessory the most among the hundreds of accessory pieces in my closet! What can you do when Gucci knows what's good? Ha ha! Hope you're all enjoying the summer, have a lovely weekend!

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

Gwen Salakaia Yellow Floral Print Sundress

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Weekend in the Hamptons with Romio App

July 20, 2017

Hi, guys! Sorry for my absence on the blog! I've been traveling since Friday and just came back into town yesterday. I spent this past weekend in the Hamptons with Romio, a start up that's created an app where you can find local service recommendations from your personal network without the hassle of weeding through online reviews from strangers. As you know, we haven't launched to the public yet, so we want people to understand that the version we have on the app store is only for preview. After the Hamps, I went straight up to Connecticut to shoot my very first fashion editorial shoot! Being the creative director as well as the photographer was incredible on so many levels, I cannot WAIT to show you my latest work! But back to Romio, several other influencers/bloggers and I stayed in a gorgeous $20 million mansion in Bridgehampton where we partook in a variety of activities ranging from a killer pool party all-day Saturday, a yoga class, and circuit training class, flower-crown making, cocktail creating to even a pajama party! We even had our own personal chef each night for dinner! You can definitely say we had quite the decadent weekend, come take a look at more photos and read more about our amazing trip!

Photo Credit: Mauricio Jorquera — Photo Credit: **Mauricio Jorquera**

We got in on Friday night after a four-hour bumper-to-bumper bus ride to the house from the city. Located in the heart of Bridgehampton, we unwinded with the perfect aperitif: an Aperol Spritz! We learned how to make our own while Chef William Lawrence, who runs the Meatball Shop in Chelsea, cooked up a storm of roasted chicken with a fresh quinoa salad and sauteed bok choy. Everything was super fresh and delicious, and I had the best company to share my meal with! We then capped the night off with our very own pajama party and a late night pool sesh where I better got to know the people in the house and overall, just enjoyed the vibes and setting on top of making new memories :)

Photo credit: Layers of Chic Hat by: Artesano // Dress by: Gwen Salakaia — Photo credit: **Layers of Chic** Hat by: **Artesano** // Dress by: **Gwen Salakaia**

On Saturday, we took an amazing yoga class held by Layne Averill, a West Village-based yoga instructor, who not only helped me appreciate yoga more but also brought back so much balance into my life. The session helped reset my perspective and better understand my way of life and what I needed to do in order to maintain that healthy balance throughout the non-stop chaos. The yoga class was followed by circuit training with personal trainer J.R Allen, who literally turned my core and legs into Jello! After an intense morning workout, I was more than ready for the all-day pool party at the house. I loved the fact that the pool party wasn't too crazy or too chill, with just the right amount of fun and energy blending in. The crowd was lit and I had a really great time meeting and networking with other like-minded creative types. I met other influencers, bloggers, writers, photographers, (I do have a thing for them... ha ha ha!) stylists, creative directors and more.

Photo Credit: Angel Zheng Hat by: Artesano // Bikini by: Triangl // Sarong by: Rujuta Sheth — Photo Credit: **Angel Zheng** Hat by: **Artesano** // Bikini by: **Triangl** // Sarong by: **Rujuta Sheth**

After the pool party died down, we had a late dinner cooked by Chef Nick Lagalante with a concoction of jumbo shrimp, charred corn on the cob (my fave), Caprese salad, grilled asparagus, mixed bean salad, chicken kabobs, and a radicchio salad. It was such a scrumptious summer meal! I loved the corn so much I had two! After dinner, we kept the party going, dancing the night away with Latin music and whiskey nightcaps. I'm not one to stay up too late anymore with my super early mornings, but each night in the Hamptons I didn't go to bed until around 3 so I definitely didn't get enough sleep! But oh the fun we had!

Photo credit: Angel Zheng Bikini by: Victoria's Secret // Kimono by: Rosegal — Photo credit: **Angel Zheng** Bikini by: **Victoria's Secret** // Kimono by: **Rosegal**

Sunday we all slept in before brunch followed by makeup done by the talented Kornelija Slunjski and flower crown making thanks to Urban Stems, an amazing flower delivery service based in New York City. With an assortment of roses, succulents, calla lilies and more, the girls and I had a great time creating their very own unique crowns! While the boys played tennis, we had fun sipping on rosé and playing with beautiful flowers while shooting content. We then had another cocktail class learning how to make the classic French 75: gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar. I know it sounds strange but it's actually quite refreshing! Sometimes the gin is substituted with cognac.

Photo Credit & Flower Crown by: Sarah Stannard — Photo Credit & Flower Crown by: **Sarah Stannard**

After all the festivities, I took one final dip in the pool. How cute is this striped one piece by Mei L'Ange? I'm thinking of doing a couple of style posts from some of these Hamptons outfits, what do you guys think? I know a lot of you on Instagram have asked mostly about the sundress and one piece, perhaps you'll see these and more of its details on the blog very soon?

Lastly, I want to give you a little insight from what I learned from this trip as I believe every time you travel, either near or far from home, you learn something about yourself. And I've discovered how imperative my "alone time" is for me. Even on the first morning in the Hamptons, I took a nice long stroll around the property not only to scout for good locations to shoot in but to also spend time with my thoughts and reflect. I don't get to do that often and it's nice to do it from time to time. I feel like it keeps me grounded while at the same time never forgetting where I come from as well. I've come far from where I started, and since starting MaQ + Suz in early August of 2015, I'm extremely humbled by all the experiences I've had on top of my personal growth. I can't wait to see what the future holds, but it's looking pretty bright. Stay tuned for more upcoming posts this week! I have so much to catch up on. Catch Y'all soon!